Day 11 – 16 January 2014
No! I’ve left the power cable for my laptop at EDC. When I got it out of my bag I thought I mustn’t leave it there but I did and so a quick unscheduled trip to Spennymoor was called for.
Back at County Hall my first meeting (only 5 today) was with another of the tier 4 managers. Graham, my NBF (new best friend for the uninitiated) is the Finance Manager for Education and Children’s Services. He took me through the hitherto unknown world of the schools’ funding formula, some of the changes that have been made and how we manage those who may lose out. It’s like a parachute payment when you fall out of the Premier League. Turns out he’s a Toon fan. Football was invented to give men something to talk about.
Next was a meeting with a supplier. I don’t like to name names so I’ll call them Cloxx. What I thought was going to be a difficult meeting turned out to be very informative. Possible technical issues turned into future service design opportunities. I was really pleased that their Chief Executive had come as well. When I thanked him he replied that it is always good to be in front of customers – so true.
Later on I met with another supplier, how about Megahard this time? I don’t hold with the concept of having strategic suppliers but their products are fundamental to what we are trying to achieve and so it’s important that we stay close. What I appreciate about Sean though is that he wants to work with us to deliver better solutions for the people of the region. I know that he needs to make money, they are a commercial organisation. Indeed I need them to make money so that they can continue to be around and invest in development yet money is not where we start from.
And finally I ended up with my next door neighbour at County Hall, John the head of Technical Services. We’re planning some work with them to improve their process flow and make it easier to work out in the field (at times actually in a field). We’re not doing a pilot. Instead we are working on phase 1.
Learning points for today: You should seriously take customers seriously; I may not always practice what I preach; You can eat an elephant a slice at a time and; The restaurant in County Hall sells child portions.
Today’s enjoyment rating 9/10 – Got over yesterday
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 